GSCC Small Group              December 11, 2006

 

Prayer

1. Pray for outreach in Christmas Service on December 24, featuring music, testimonies, skits, and food. Check within your small group who are inviting friends and pray for them.

2. Pastor Wendell Friest will be visiting us from January 5-7, 2007. He will be teaching a workshop titled "Trusting God in the Untrustworthy World."  Please pray that people are eager and willing to receive teaching.

3. Pray for Danny and Jeff who are in Taiwan attending wedding.

 

Bible Study

Title: Maturity

Verses: Ephesians 4:11-16

 

11It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

 

 14Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. 15Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. 16From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

 

Questions:

  1. What is the purpose of the spiritual gifts given to us by Jesus? (V11-12)
  2. Last Sunday Pastor Johnson preached that maturity is the ability to cultivate for long term gain.  What is your definition?  How would a matured or maturing church look like? (V13)
  3. Describe some of the false teachings of the world. Will the maturity in V13 help you recognize and resist the false teaching of the world? (V14)
  4. Give some life experience of the following: (V15)
    1. An incidence you spoke or heard truth without love
    2. An incidence you spoke or heard love without truth
    3. An incidence you spoke or heard truth in love
  5. Share an experience of your involvement in corporate growth, such as a team project in your company or school.  What part of work did you do? Can you learn and grow without actually doing your work? (V16)
  6. If church is a body, which part are you now? Which part do you see yourself be in coming years? Let your small group leader know if you want to involve in serving in the body of Christ.